Bitcoin, Human Rights, and the Future We're Building
Written by Brianna Honkawa d’Estries, Founder of Evento
Last year, I published a piece in Forbes titled “Empowering Human Rights Through Bitcoin and Open Source Software.” It explores how Bitcoin is being used around the world to resist censorship, build financial autonomy, and support human rights.
To some, Bitcoin is an investment or a hedge against inflation. But to many more, it’s a tool for survival — a way to raise funds when no one else will process them, to move money freely when banks shut you out, to stay connected when platforms and payment systems fail.
This work is personal to me. It’s what inspired the creation of Evento. And I’m proud to share that Evento was selected as a Q2 2025 grantee of the Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund.
Why the Human Rights Foundation Supports Bitcoin
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched the Bitcoin Development Fund in 2020 to strengthen Bitcoin as a tool for freedom. Over the past five years, they’ve given more than $5.5 million in grants to 174 open-source projects focused on censorship resistance, privacy, education, and infrastructure.
Alex Gladstein, HRF’s Chief Strategy Officer, put it simply: “Dictators and governments control the financial system globally and continuously deplatform people they don’t like. Bitcoin solves this problem because no single entity controls it.”
HRF believes Bitcoin can be a vital part of the fight for civil liberties. Their support is building the infrastructure needed to make Bitcoin more accessible, especially in places where it's needed most.
Builders on the Front Lines
In the article, I spoke with developers and organizers using Bitcoin in practical, life-changing ways. Their work is shaping how Bitcoin reaches and supports people across the globe.
Led by Lucas Ferreira and André Neves, Vinteum is training developers and supporting Bitcoin research across Latin America. They’ve launched Brazil’s first Bitcoin community space, hosted meetups, and funded local contributors to Bitcoin Core.
They also use Evento to power their events, making it easy to manage meetups and share community resources.
Founded by Lisa Neigut, bitcoin++ hosts developer-focused events that strengthen global collaboration in the Bitcoin ecosystem. With HRF’s help, they’ve welcomed engineers from all corners of the globe to learn together.
Their satellite events run on Evento as well, helping them deliver a smooth and secure experience for their community.
I’ve been a co-organizer of TABConf for the past four years, alongside Brandon Iglesias, Michael Tidwell, and Bryan Nonni. It’s one of the most respected technical Bitcoin conferences in the world.
With HRF’s support, we’ve brought in builders all over the world to join the conversation and build on Bitcoin together. TABConf also uses Evento to host and manage all of our satellite events.
When Nigerian EndSARS activists were deplatformed by Flutterwave, they turned to BTCPay Server to receive Bitcoin donations directly. The software, funded in part by HRF, gave them a secure, censorship-resistant option for support.
Led by Abubakar Nur Khalil, BTrust Builders trains the next generation of African Bitcoin developers. They’ve hosted meetups, fellowships, and sponsored developers to attend global conferences like the Oslo Freedom Forum.
Their work focuses on real-world impact: how Bitcoin can be used to solve problems in communities that need financial and digital sovereignty.
Education Is Infrastructure
At Evento, we believe tools mean nothing without the knowledge to use them. That’s why we’ve worked with students around the world to help teach Bitcoin and support local organizers.
We’ve powered student-led Bitcoin events at over 10 universities. This spring, we co-organized an International Women’s Day event in Kaduna to educate Nigerian women on Bitcoin and careers in the Bitcoin industry.We also recently supported a Bitcoin Pizza Day event for students in Kaduna, which brought together nearly 100 students to learn about Bitcoin. We're just getting started.
What This Means for Evento
Evento is built for organizers. We care about autonomy, simplicity, and making sure people can gather and get paid without platforms exploiting them and their communities.
Our events are powered by peer-to-peer payments via Lightning addresses. We don’t take a fee. All ticket revenue goes directly to the event host. Always.
But it doesn't stop there. We know that there's a huge need for reliable, low-cost ticketing, so we're working to make that happen.
We’re actively building more tools inside Evento that integrate Bitcoin directly. Whether you’re hosting a meetup in Lagos or selling tickets for a conference in Lisbon, you’ll soon be able to accept global payments instantly, with 0% ticketing fees and no reliance on banks or third-party processors.
We believe in building for Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a lifeline. It’s neutral, censorship-resistant, and accessible. That’s the foundation we trust, and the one we’re building on.
Final Thoughts
Bitcoin is a real-world tool that people are using every day to push back against systems that exclude and control. We’ve seen that firsthand: from developers in Brazil to students in Nigeria.
We’re proud to be part of that ecosystem. And we’re committed to building tools that give people more power, not less.
Read the original article in Forbes: Empowering Human Rights Through Bitcoin and Open Source Software
With love,
The Evento Team
